The most breathtaking and awe-inducing landscapes are usually the ones with dramatic or intriguing changes in elevation. My unofficial observations have led me to believe that this is partially because they photograph well. After six weeks in Flat Land, the team has taken plenty of photos that are quite level, but the gently sloping tundra in the ( Read more... )

Because I put up a new picture and new post

The plane was only two hours late, so we had time to clean up the house and eat four Otter Pops each. Maybe only Jean and I did that.  Rob just ate some more of the seventeen tons of noodles that were still in the fridge.

Should we be worried that though the airline is careful to weigh every bag and ask each passenger’s weight before flights from ( Read more... )

The weary researchers trudged through the edge of town to the turquoise house, mentally bracing themselves for the impact. They had been warned that morning of the imminent arrival of five more persons and fully expected all the chaos that would entail.  Should the five terrible strangers somehow not have made it to the little town, the Village ( Read more... )

In other news, Jeremy and his grandiose schemes continue to disappoint. This time he PROMISED that Atqasuk would be magical, warm and fun… I believe the word he used was “phantasmical”… and it rained all day yesterday. It rained on our luggage, it rained on the truck, it rained on our food boxes, it rained on the airplane, and it rained on the ( Read more... )

Well, we made it. I won’t say that we made it in one piece, since the four person team was only a three person team for the celebratory midnight dinner in town. I hope we didn’t break Jean’s spirit.

The 25+ gallons of tundra from the Barrow dry plots are all safely sorted into neatly labeled bags. They await weighing and drying, which will commence ( Read more... )

No matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, it is never enough. Despite being the best point frame partner the world has ever seen, able to hold five pieces of data error-free in my head while writing the plot points that SOMEONE neglected to put on the data sheet, Jeremy insists on treating me in an abominable fashion. The latest torture is the ( Read more... )

Julian Day: 193

Weeks in Barrow so far: 4

Weeks left in Barrow: 6 (not enough!)

Postcards sent: 29

Point frames done: 8

Point frames left: 88

Biomass plots done: 6

Biomass plots left: 18

Number of gallon size Ziploc bags we filled with tundra today: 20

Hours it will take to sort 20 gallons of tundra by species: 1 billion

Number of showers taken: 8
( Read more... )

Unlike the delightful Barrow sun, which I think I have mentioned on one or eight occasions, the evil Grand Rapids sun beats down with relentless ferocity. It wrenches drops of sweat from even the most stationary skin with boundless efficiency. I worked at the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan last summer, selling birdseed glued to a stick and ( Read more... )

My very favorite part of the day is the walk home at night from the lab to the NARL hotel.  I’m usually tired as all get-out, due to various distractions that keep me out of bed, but the sunlight is so perfect I could just walk down that road for hours.

Good thing it is only a five minute walk, or I wouldn’t get any sleep at all. Zombie Jenny is ( Read more... )